One For The Older Generation
The soapy Cowboy Junkies return with 'At the End of Paths Taken', their new album written and produced entirely by guitarist Michael Timmins. It is a subdued affair reminding us of a more from-the-ground Zero 7 or very polished-up Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan as is displayed especially in second song 'Still Lost', with its soft lyrics undulating over the album's title line.
We're led to think of The Beautiful South when we listen to this; songs that we remember being prominent and shiny in our youth and now listening again come over as boring and annoying. That is until the slightly more raucous 'Cutting Board Blues' bangs in with some distortion! and a more creamy vocal take. The solo goes into wah-wah euphony and crashes out in a suspended overdriven chord which threatens feedback, it's a bit more rocking but still sounds quite removed from what we've come to think meaningful music should be attached to...
'My Little Basquiat' is a fairly cool bopping piece with the vocals similar in style to the backing found in Alex In the Void's tracks, as well as a similar up and down driving guitar style, it works well in its placing on the record, as do all the tracks really; although it might excite enough as a whole it is conceived well.
Cali's singing style is like a more refined Gabby Young (look at 'Blue Eyed Saviour'), less gutsy and striking but tuned succinctly and perfectly matched to the shy music produced by the band. As a record At the End of Paths Taken shows a band who have passed into their second decade and have become complacent, but fully know what they're doing... And there's no denying that they're good at it, that's a fact, just whether it's everybody's cup of tea is the question, it doesn't inject you with energy, but if you're feeling moodless then you can connect... Maybe that's too rude...
Well anyway, when we're thinking about Canada and what it's got to offer musically we think of Final Fantasy, Broken Social Scene and Arcade Fire, but for the quieter people upstairs in bed and on nebulisers and pacemakers Cowboy Junkies are the optimum choice; from the hymn-like 'Spiral Down' with its beautiful string section to the sublime and dreamy 'Someday Soon', Rouse-like, Chris Ballew-ish and sunny, this record could definitely be a winner for the older generation and for those middle classers afraid to dip their toes in rougher waters. For us reckless young, it doesn't say too much.